1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to telephones, and more particularly, to a highly secure pay telephone system that discourages theft and cheating by providing improved coin control circuitry and a more secure coin box and locking mechanism for the telephone housing.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Presently known paystation telephones have certain problem areas. One of these problem areas concerns the coin collecting operation. Problems in the coin collecting operation sometimes cause a coin to be erroneously collected, and in other situations, to be erroneously refunded. Moreover, the coin collecting function generally requires operator attention or complex equipment at the central office.
Another source of problems is the telephone coin box. Typical telephone coin boxes employ a door which is opened as the coin box is inserted into the telephone. The open door permits coins to enter the coin box from the escrow unit or collect chute. Prior art coin boxes have been designed so that when a full coin box is removed from the telephone, the door closes automatically and cannot be reopened. Thus, coins cannot be removed from the coin box when the coin box is removed from the telephone.
While such a coin box does provide a measure of security, and reduces the number of coins stolen, the security provided by such a coin box can be defeated by manually opening the door and taping or otherwise securing it in an open position prior to inserting the coin box into the telephone. When this is done, the door remains open when the coin box is removed from the telephone. This permits a dishonest employee to remove some of the coins from the coin box, manually close the door and turn in the coin box containing the remainder of the coins without being detected.
A third problem associated with pay telephones is theft or vandalism caused by nonemployees, and although paystation telephones are continuously being made more rugged, the theft and vandalism problem persists.